Aubertine: Power for Jobs should be extended at least a year for certainty, continuity

ALBANY (May 27, 2009)—As Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications, State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine joined the state leader’s meeting today to discuss energy policy, including an extender for the state’s Power for Jobs program.

“It is extremely important we give businesses a climate of certainty and the continuity they are looking for by extending the Power for Jobs program,” Sen. Aubertine said. “This program helps support close to 400,000 jobs across the state, many of which are in Central and Northern New York. The businesses that benefit from this program to sustain and create jobs need to know it will be in place as they plan for the future.”

The leader’s meeting, which is an open forum featuring the Governor, the Assembly Speaker, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Assembly and Senate Minority Leaders, discussed energy policy as it relates to jobs and economic development, the state’s renewable portfolio, conservation, establishing a comprehensive energy policy, extending and creating a long term Power for Jobs program, and power plant siting.

“We covered many topics in the meeting and I think there was a lot of agreement about what the state’s priorities should be moving forward,” Sen. Aubertine said. “I know that for the Senate Majority, our highest priority is the Power for Jobs program. We need to extend the program for at least a year and use that time to put together a long term proposal to make this already successful program even better.”

“Beyond that, we’ll look toward green job development, power plant siting, and renewable energy to ensure that New York is a leader in these fields,” the Energy Chair added. “This will create jobs in new industries, especially in Upstate New York, and help us meet demand both by using less energy and by generating more power through efficient, renewable means.”